Running out of options for breakfast - try this, "Sevai Upma" (Vermicelli Mix)

Sevai is a tricky item to work with. I had about 4-5 failed attempts of Sevai upma before I could make it right. This is usually a rare dish people make, at least I have not seen people make Sevai upma as frequently they do Poha or regular Upma for breakfast. This, therefore makes, a good dish for guests too. The only tricky part is how much water you put when you cook Sevai upma and the lesson I learnt is to start with small amounts or try the microwave version of cooking it.

Ingredients:

Thin Vermicelli \ Sevai - 2 cups

Chopped Onion - 1\2 cup

Frozen Peas - 1\2 cup

Green chillies - either slit or in a paste form, as per taste

Roasted Peanuts - whole or crushed

Salt per taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 3\4

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tsp

Chopped Coriander

Method:

1. Put vermicelli in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1 tsp oil to it and mix it so that all sevai is greased. Microwave this for 1-2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds. Stop when you see the sevai getting red. Add 1\2 cup water to this bowl and then continue cooking. You will require 2-3 minutes for the vermicelli to be cooked. Add water if necessary. Eat a little sevai to check if its cooked.

2. Heat oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add cumin seeds and curry leaved. Add chopped onion and saute till onion turns translucent. Add turmeric powder, green chilly paste\slit, peanuts (whole\crushed), salt, sugar and mix well.

3. Now add cooked vermicelli and mix again delicately, making sure everything mixes well. Adjust salt, sugar to taste. Cover for 2 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Tips:

You can also add roasted split chana daal when sauteing onion, for that extra and different flavor.
Additional veggies of your choice will add colors and nutrition.

Tomato Omelet.... Yummy !!!

This one is again a Mama's recipe and one of my favorites. Thing I like about such recipes is that they require very little preparation time. Once the batter is done we are free to do other work and then we can make omelets when we want to eat. Also don't forget to make nariyal chutney with this. Omelets just taste perfect when accompanied with this chutney.

Other thing which I would like to share is about tomatoes. Whatever we eat is divided into 3 kinds of substances. Alkaline, Acidic and Neutral. Alkaline are good for body and help to maintain the required balance so that all the functioning in the body is going on properly. Most of the green veggies are alkaline. That's why green juices are recommended :). Well I had read some of the book and found out that tomatoes are mentioned in first 7 most alkaline foods. Here is a site that lists the alkaline foods and I found this quote by Dr. Young as well:

'Your health depends on the balance of an alkaline environment, created by eating foods such as tomatoes, avocados and green vegetables...striking the optimum 80/20 balance and regulating your body's acid/alkaline chemistry through simple changes in diet can result in weight loss, increased stamina and strength,a stronger immune system and a greater sense of wellbeing.'

I really feel such little changes make a huge difference in ones lifestyle, health and behavior. Tomato is the ingredient always present in every one's fridge and liked by all. Just eating it raw is always good. But if one gets bored we always have tons of recipes were we can use it and this one is one of them :)

Ingredients:

Serves 4

2 1/2 bowl Besan Flour
1/2 bowl Rice Flour
2 Medium size finely chopped Tomatoes
1 small finely chopped Onion
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Garlic paste
1 tsp Green chili paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp chopped Coriander
Salt as per taste
Oil

Method:

• With the help of water, mix all the above ingredients,except oil, in a bowl, adjust the chili paste and salt and make a batter not too much thick and not too much watery, medium consistency. 
• Heat a non-stick pan and spread above batter into thin omelets (the way we do it for crepes or dosas).
• Put some oil from the sides. Turn the omelet when it can be easily done (also check if its not sticking to the pan). Cook other side and serve with tomato ketchup or coconut chutney (nariyal ki chutey).

Tips:

• Some people add little amount of thick Semolina (sooji/rava) into the batter.
• One can eat this omelet along with bread.
• Rice flour makes them a little crisp.
• Chop the tomatoes and onions real fine, this will make it easy to spread omelet and have them real thin and crisp.
• Don't forget to make nariyal ki chutney. This as per my opinion is a must have besides tomato ketchup with these omelet :). I will post my version of nariyal chutney sometime :)

My first Moong Daal Cheela (Simple variation with Paneer)

Cheela are like creepes. I first time saw these cheelas in India where a chef was making hot cheelas on a large griddle. I used to see so many recipes of Cheela made form variety of daals (lentil) and always wished to try it myself at home. Me being a Gujarati and not having tried a moong daal cheela (chila) always killed me. I was scanning a book of Viddhu Mittal from one of my friends and I found a lovely recipe in it. The addition of paneer makes this cheela look so attractive and makes everyone to have it. I still want to try all different kinds of cheelas. Being high in proteins and fibers this has become one of my favorite snack/breakfast items.

Ingredients:

1 cup Green Gram (dhuli moong daal), dehusked split
2 tbsp Bengal Gram (Chana Daal),dehusked split
(optional)
2 tsp Green Chilies, chopped
2 tsp Ginger paste
Salt to taste
Pinch of Asafetida (hing)
2 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander
Oil for frying

For topping:
1 Cup Cottage Cheese (paneer) grated
2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Chili powder (optional)

Method:

1. Soak both the daal for 2 hours and drain the water after that.

2. Then grind both the daals , green chilies, ginger with just enough water to form a smooth batter.

3. Add salt asafetida, coriander to the batter and mix well.

4. Mix all the ingredients under topping and keep aside.

5. Heat a non-stick pan. Spread some oil. Take a ladle of batter and spread on the pan (the way we spread crepes) till 6" wide.

6. Add 1-2 tsp oil around the Cheela and let it cook until golden brown. Flip the side and let other side cook for 30 sec.

7. Now flip again , spread 1 tbsp topping, fold the cheela and serve.

Tips: 

• Other variation is to have a mixed vegetable stuffing/topping (use onion, tomato, green chili, ginger etc). One can also add grated tofu instead of paneer.
• Refrigerate the mung bean batter for upto 3 days and make fresh cheela as desired.
• Can serve with coconut chutney, corriander chutney, tomato ketchup , pickle or anything you want :)

Semolina Upma with Buttermilk- "Sanja" ....A different recipe than regular Upma

"Sanja" is a Marathi word and probably this recipe belongs to Maharashtra. My mother - in law makes this dish. This one is like Upma but the main difference lies in adding buttermilk. Butter milk actually adds the sour taste to Sanja. This recipe is pretty fast once you make butter milk and great for people with upset stomach :)), kids, oldies ...But yes, a different taste can be enjoyed by anyone.

Ingredients: Serves: 2-3

1 cup Semolina (Rava)
3 cups Water
2 tbsp Curd
Green chili paste to taste
1 tbsp Roasted Peanut Crush
Salt to taste
1 tsp Turmeric powder
For tempering -
Oil, Mustard seeds, Asafetida,
Cumin seeds, 3-4 Curry leaves (optional)
Fresh Chopped Cilantro for garnishing

Method:

1. Add curd to the water, whisk it and make buttermilk.

2. Heat oil in a shallow pan and add the ingredients for tempering. When they sizzle add chopped green chili, turmeric powder. Stir and immediately add peanut crush and semolina.

3. Now keep on roasting semolina for a while till you smell a nice flavor or till the semolina becomes little lighter.

4. Now add buttermilk and make sure you stir in continually while adding buttermilk to semolina. This is actually to avoid any lumps of semolina getting formed.

5. Now add salt, adjust the chili paste and turmeric powder as per taste and color. Let it cook for sometime, till it thickens or reaches the consistency you want. Stir in between. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Tips:

One can also add few lime juice drops to this.